Sausage and Potato Soup With Kale

Potatoes, Italian sausage, and nutritious kale get together in this yummy soup. This thick and hearty soup is the perfect meal for a brisk fall or winter evening. It makes a great lunch soup as well. Serve cups of this delicious soup along with sandwiches or a salad.

Use sweet Italian sausage or another mild or spicy fresh pork sausage in this flavorful potato soup. If you like to avoid red meat, make it with turkey sausage. The bacon provides a tasty garnish for the soup, but omit if you'd like. If you don't use bacon, increase the butter to 4 tablespoons.

Feel free to use chopped chard leaves, escarole, or spinach in the soup if you don't have fresh or frozen kale on hand. For a creamier soup, reduce the amount of chicken stock to 3 cups and increase the heavy cream (or half-and-half) to 2 cups.

How to Make It

With a fork, prick the sausages in several places. Place them in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook the sausages for about 20 minutes. Remove the sausages to a cutting board and slice them thinly. Set aside.

Put the diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat; cook until it is crisp and browned, turning and stirring frequently. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.

Transfer 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings to the pan used to cook the bacon. Add the butter to the pan and place it over medium heat.

When the butter has melted, add the chopped onion and sliced carrots. Cook until the onions are tender, stirring frequently. Add the thyme and garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly

Add the flour to the pan and stir to blend. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.